As I'm sure you are aware, food preservation is as old as, well, the eating of food! People had to figure out ways to provide for themselves in the lean times, when certain foods would not be as easy to obtain. While we don't have this concern nowadays, being that we have supermarkets, growing and putting up for the future is still a way of life for many homesteaders. I'm one of those people.
Why do I preserve my own food? Because of quality control. I grow our plants without the use of any chemicals and I use only natural preservatives in the food I put up. I dry my own herbs for home use and my husband hunts, providing us with enough meat to last half the year. We fish when time allows, too, being that we live on a small lake. When the wild berries, fruits, vegetables and mushrooms arrive from spring to fall, you'll find me out there, picking and filling baskets or bags.
Preserving your own food is not as time consuming as some people think. It is, however, expensive to get into if you start with nothing. It took me years to glean my jars, canning kettles, pressure cookers and canners, freezer, dehydrator, smoker and various other equipment. Things like apple peelers and meat grinders were added, too. While some of my appliances are not necessary, they do make processing go faster.
If you are interested in learning more about putting food up for your family (as many folks are this year, with Y2K looming over their heads), allow me to lead you to some very informative sites, as listed below:
Food Preservation Topic, Suite 101 http://www.suite101.com/articles.cfm/foo... Preserving Food Safely http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/mod01/m... Home Food Preservers Magazine http://members.aol.com/preservers/index.... Books on Canning/Preserving can be found at both, Storey Books www.storey.com and Amazon www.amazon.com
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